Chair

ABSTRACT

A chair includes a support structure, a fabric seat unit and a retaining strip. The support structure includes a ring frame having an inner periphery bounding a ring space. The fabric seat unit includes a seat member in the ring space, and a plurality of sleeves annularly spaced apart from each other and connected to an annular rim of the seat member. The sleeves pass over an outer periphery of the ring frame and bends inwardly toward the inner periphery of the ring frame. Each sleeve has a passage. The retaining strip removably extends through the passage of each sleeve. When the fabric seat unit is loaded, each connection members engages and positions the retaining strip to the ring frame.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a chair, and more particularly to a chair provided with an improved structural connection between a fabric seat unit and a support structure.

BACKGROUND

It is known in the art to provide a leisure chair which has a flexible seat unit assembled to a support structure including a ring frame, a leg unit and a plurality of connection members attached to the ring frame and connecting the leg unit. The fabric seat unit includes a seat member and a plurality of sleeves connected to the seat member. Each sleeve has a passage. During the manufacture of the support structure, the ring frame is formed into a semi-finished open ring product having open ends to facilitate insertion of the open ring product into the passages of the sleeves. After completion of insertion, the open ends of the semi-finished open ring product are closed to form the ring frame. After the leg unit is assembled to the ring frame, assembly of the leisure chair is completed.

However, once the ring frame and the flexible seat unit are assembled together, the flexible seat unit is unable to be disassembled from the ring frame. Therefore, the flexible seat unit is unreplaceable. If the flexible seat unit is damaged, the entire assembly has to be discarded. In addition, because the flexible seat unit has to be assembled before the ring frame is shaped completely, the design of the flexible seat unit is decided by the manufacturer in a factory. Therefore, such a chair lacks adaptability to be customized.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a chair that can overcome at least one drawback of the prior art.

According to the disclosure, a chair includes a support structure, a fabric seat unit and a retaining strip.

The support structure includes a ring frame having an inner periphery bounding a ring space, an outer periphery opposite to the inner periphery, and upper and lower sides each interconnecting the inner and outer peripheries, a leg unit, and a plurality of connection members attached to the ring frame and connected to the leg unit.

The fabric seat unit includes a seat member that is disposed in the ring space and that has an annular rim abutting against the upper side of the ring frame, and an annular positioning portion having a plurality of sleeves annularly spaced apart from each other and connected to the annular rim. The sleeves extend downwardly from the annular rim to the lower side of the ring frame, pass over the outer periphery of the ring frame and bend inwardly toward the inner periphery of the ring frame. Each of the sleeves has a passage adjacent to the inner periphery of the ring frame.

The retaining strip removably extends through the passage of each of the sleeves adjacent to the inner periphery of the ring frame. When the fabric seat unit is loaded, each of the connection members engages and positions the retaining strip to the ring frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a chair according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the embodiment in which a portion of a leg unit is omitted;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the chair of the embodiment being loaded.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a chair according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a support structure 1, a fabric seat unit 2 and a retaining strip 3.

The support structure 1 is, but not limited to be, foldable. The support structure 1 includes a ring frame 11, a leg unit 10, and a plurality of connection members 15 attached to the ring frame 11 and connected to the leg unit 10. The ring frame 11 has an inner periphery 110 bounding a ring space 111, an outer periphery 112 opposite to the inner periphery, and upper and lower sides 113, 114 each interconnecting the inner and outer peripheries.

The leg unit 10 includes a first leg frame 12 slanting downwards and rearwards from the ring frame 11, and a second leg frame 13 slanting downwards and forwards from the ring frame 11 and connected pivotally to the first leg frame 12 by a plurality of pivot pins 14. The first leg frame 12 includes two left-right spaced-apart first leg portions 121, and a first intermediate portion 122 interconnecting bottoms of the first leg portions 121. The second leg frame 13 includes two left-right spaced-apart telescopic second leg portions 131, and a second intermediate portion 132 interconnecting bottoms of the second leg portions 131. The telescopic second leg portions 131 are variable in length and are disclosed in US2016/0073783 A1 owned by the applicant of the current application. The connection members 15 are spaced apart from each other and respectively connect the first and second leg portions 121, 131 to the lower side 114 of the ring frame 11. Because the connection members 15 are identical, only one of the connection members 15 is illustrated in detail (see FIG. 4). Each connection member 15 includes a U-shaped bracket 151, a securing pin 152 and a pivot rod 153. The U-shaped bracket 151 has amid plate 1511, and two spaced-apart arms 1512 projecting downwardly from the mid plate 1511. The securing pin 152 secures the mid plate 1511 to the lower side 114 of the ring frame 11 between the inner and outer peripheries 110, 112. The pivot rod 153 pivotally connects the first leg portion 121 to the arms 1512.

The fabric seat unit 2 is made of a cloth or plastic material. In this embodiment, the fabric seat unit 2 includes a seat member 21 and an annular positioning portion 22. The seat member 21 is disposed in the ring space 111 and has an annular rim 211 abutting against the upper side 113 of the ring frame 11. The annular positioning portion 22 has a plurality of sleeves 221 annularly spaced apart from each other and connected to the annular rim 211 by stitches. The sleeves 221 extend downwardly from the annular rim 211 to the lower side 114 of the ring frame 11, pass over the outer periphery 112 of the ring frame 11 and bend inwardly toward the inner periphery 110 of the ring frame 11. Each the sleeve 221 has a passage 222 adjacent to the inner periphery 110 of the ring frame 11. Each connection member 15 is attached to the ring frame 11 between two adjacent ones of the sleeves 221, and extends transversely of the inner and outer peripheries 110, 112 of the ring frame 11.

The retaining strip 3 removably extends through the passage 222 of each sleeve 221 adjacent to the inner periphery 110 of the ring frame 11. The retaining strip 3 has exposed parts that are exposed from the sleeves 221 respectively at positions where the sleeves 221 are spaced apart from each other and that are engageable with the connection members 15 respectively. The retaining strip 3 is a rounded strip and has an insertion portion 31 extending into the passage 222 of each sleeve 221, and an overlapping end portion 32 overlapping with the insertion portion 31. In addition, the retaining strip 3 is made of a flexible metal material.

Referring back to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the ring frame 11 has a closed ring configuration. The retaining strip has a total length that is greater than a circumferential length of the ring frame 11 and a circumferential length of the annular positioning portion 22. The overlapping end portion 32 overlaps with the insertion portion 31 within the passage 222 of at least one of the sleeves 221.

Referring FIG. 5, in combination with FIGS. 3 and 4, when the fabric seat unit 2 is loaded under a weight, e.g., a user's weight, the weight causes the annular rim 211 of the seat member 21 to move inward and toward the ring space 111, thus pulling outward the sleeves 221. As the sleeves 221 are moved from the inner periphery 110 toward the outer periphery 112 of the ring frame 11, the loop formed by the retaining strip 3 is enlarged and moved outward until the retaining strip 3 comes into engagement with an inner side of each connection member 15. By virtue of engagement of the retaining strip 3 and the connection members 15, the fabric seat unit 2 is positioned to the ring frame 11.

When the fabric seat unit 2 is unloaded and is needed to be replaced or cleaned, the retaining strip 3 may be removed from the passages 222 of the sleeves 221 to detach the fabric seat unit 2 from the support structure 1. In addition, the support structure 1 and the fabric seat unit 2 can be manufactured independently from each other. By virtue of the detachable retaining strip 3, different fabric seat units 2 with various patterns or colors may be interchangeably attached to the support structures according to customer orders or demands. In conclusion, the chair of the present disclosure can be manufactured conveniently and flexibly, and the fabric seat unit 2 is easily disassembled from the support structure 1 for cleaning or replacement.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. A chair comprising: a support structure including a ring frame having an inner periphery bounding a ring space, an outer periphery opposite to said inner periphery, and upper and lower sides each interconnecting said inner and outer peripheries, a leg unit, and a plurality of connection members attached to said ring frame and connected to said leg unit; a fabric seat unit including a seat member that is disposed in said ring space and that has an annular rim abutting against said upper side of said ring frame, and an annular positioning portion having a plurality of sleeves annularly spaced apart from each other and connected to said annular rim, said sleeves extending downwardly from said annular rim to said lower side of said ring frame, passing over said outer periphery of said ring frame and bending inwardly toward said inner periphery of said ring frame, each of said sleeves having a passage adjacent to said inner periphery of said ring frame; and a retaining strip removably extending through said passage of each of said sleeves adjacent to said inner periphery of said ring frame, wherein, when said fabric seat unit is loaded, each of said connection members engages and positions said retaining strip to said ring frame, wherein said retaining strip is a rounded strip and has an insertion portion extending into said passage of each of said sleeves, and an overlapping end portion overlapping with said insertion portion, and wherein said overlapping end portion overlaps with said insertion portion within said passage of at least one of said sleeves.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. The chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein said leg unit includes a first leg frame slanting downwards and rearwards from said ring frame, and a second leg frame slanting downwards and forwards from said ring frame and connected pivotally to said first leg frame, said first leg frame including two left-right spaced-apart first leg portions, said second leg frame including two left-right spaced-apart second leg portions, said connection members respectively connecting said first and second leg portions.
 5. The chair as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said connection members includes a bracket attached to said lower side of said ring frame, a securing pin securing said bracket to said ring frame, and a pivot rod pivotally connecting one of said first and second leg portions to said bracket.
 6. The chair as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said connection members includes a U-shaped bracket having a mid plate and two spaced-apart alms projecting from said mid plate, a securing pin securing said mid plate to said lower side of said ring frame, and a pivot rod pivotally connecting one of said first and second leg portions to said arms, said U-shaped bracket engaging said retaining strip.
 7. The chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said connection members is secured to said lower side of said ring frame between said inner and outer peripheries and between two adjacent ones of said sleeves where said sleeves are spaced apart, said retaining strip having exposed parts that are exposed from said sleeves at positions where said sleeves are spaced apart and that are engageable with said connection members respectively. 